PESHAWAR: Convener for the angry group of Pakistan People’s Party Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Engineer Tariq Khattak is struggling to mobilise local angry leaders and workers to press leadership for holding intra-party elections in the province.

The group, whose key members are Masood Kausar, Lal Mohammad Khan, Ayub Shah, Yawar Naseer, Tahir Abbas, Azam Afridi, Abdul Akbar Khan and Mian Muzaffar Shah, had initiated a campaign two years ago to raise voice against the filling of the party’s provincial offices by nominations instead of elections. However, the campaign has yet to meet with a success.

In the meantime, the provincial leadership managed to divide the group by getting its most active person, Tariq Khattak, appointed the party’s president for Peshawar division.

The appointment was made by PPP Co-chairperson Asif Zardari few weeks ago.

Khattak quit the office on the pressure of disgruntled activists, who named him their group’s convener a week ago before asking him to engage angry leaders and workers from across the province to press leadership for holding intra-party elections.

However, he has yet to execute the agenda for the purpose i.e. announcement of the party’s parallel organisations in different districts.

“We met Asif Zardari in Karachi and demanded intra-party elections. He promised to accept the demand but sought time for it,” Lal Mohammad Khan told Dawn on Friday.

He said the leadership had offered to give his son, Asad Lal Khan, a key party position but he declined it stressing the need for intra-party elections, which was the only solution to overcome differences.

“Our leaders sacrificed life and property for the party but never surrendered. Now, it is our duty to raise voice for the people’s rights, strengthen democracy and work for resolving the people’s problems,” he said.

The PPP angry leader said only a strong and organised party could succeed in the province. “The party could only be organised through the holding of an intra-party elections,” he said.

Another senior leader of the group, Ayub Shah, seconded the views of Lal Mohammad and said the leadership should implement the party’s manifesto in letter and spirit to promote democratic traditions.

“We do not want important party positions. Instead, the leadership should announce intra-party elections without delay to end differences in the party. This will help mobilise unhappy workers in different districts of the province to work for the party,” he said.

However, PPP provincial information secretary Liaquat Shabab claimed that there was no grouping in the party. He said some elements were damaging the party and that membership of Tariq Khattak was suspended for working against the interests of the party.

“(PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Zardari has clearly asked activists to overcome differences and others wanting to quit to go ahead with their plans. No one will be allowed to damage the party,” he said.

Shabab said Khanzada Khan was successfully managing the affairs of the party in the province as president and that those hatching conspiracies against him won’t succeed.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2015

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